Method of and means for railway-track construction.



PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

B. E. CLEMENT. METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.15. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED FEB.

E. CLEMENT. POE RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION ATION FILED DBO.15

METHOD OF AND MEANS APPLIO 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. E. CLEMENT. METHOD 0f AND MEANS FOR RAILWAY TRACK GONST APPLICATIONFILED 10110.15. 1905.

PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

RUQTION.

3 SHBETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. CLEMENT,'OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR RAILWAY-TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed December 15, 1905. Serial No. 291,920.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. CLEMENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at I/Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Means forRailway-Track Construction, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to means for and methods of railway-trackconstruction.

More specifically stated, the invention relates to railway-trackconstruction of that type wherein a concrete foundation is used, therails being directly supported thereon. In such construction there isalways more or less shrinkage of the concrete, and the matter of settingand supporting the rails and other parts cooperating therewith calls forspecial design in order to secure a permanent and accurate alinement andadjustment of all the parts.

It is one object of the present invention to secure this perfectalinement and adjustment of all the parts.

Another object of the invention is to produce a track system forelectric railways having surface contacts for supplying current to thepassing cars or trains, all contacts and other parts, as well as therails themselves, being permanently and solidly supported upon andcarried by a mass or masses of composition, to which they are anchored.or in which they may be embedded, insuch manner that their relativepositions and adjustment will be easily secured and permanentlymaintained.

According to this invention, broadly stated, a suitable trench ortrenches being prepared, temporary supporting devices orties are laidacross the trench. Upon these the rails are supported and roughlyalined. Yokes or an chors are hung upon the rails, and the contactdevices are also hung upon or adjusted from the rails, there being thusa common reference of all the connected parts to the rails as the basefor adjustment. Beneath the contact devices and intermediate of therails a cable laid therein. After the parts are in position and adjustedto the extent required in the rough the trenches are filled withconcrete or other composition, and after that is set the rails arefinally permitted to come upon the concrete and the various temporarysupporting devices or ties are removed.

small trench is first excavated and the feeder- The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is atransverse section of a track structure produced according to andembodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar section prior tocompletion, showing the temporary supporting devices for thecontact-blocks. Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. i is a side view,showing a temporary supporting-tie and the contact-supporting meansattached to a rail.

The supporting structure shown herein is preferably formed as a monolithor continuous unbroken mass of concrete or artificial stone. In somecases separate masses of concrete may be employed supporting the railsand conduit at intervals after the manner of ties; but the principalembodiment of this invention is in a monolithic structure. Thispreferably comprises two longitudinal masses extending along the sidesof the track, each beneath one line of rails, these being connected by ahorizontal web of the same material, which serves the double purpose ofconnecting the side bodies and of making a solid foundation for theroad-surface and the contact-bodies and supports beneath the rails.Suitable reinforcing-rods are embedded in this horizontal body and also,if desired, in the side bodies at intervals, the cross-rods having theirends extending down and embedded in the masses of the side bodies. Ineach side body metallic anchors or yokes are provided at intervals, alsoembedded in the masses, and upon these means are secured for holdingdown and adjusting the rails. The rails rest upon the concrete withoutbearing upon the yokes, although held down by the latter, and thecentral contact-bodies also rest upon the concrete, being surfacedthereby and not resting their weight upon their connections with thefeeder-conduit, although held down thereby or by special yokes, if desired. In order to secure the various ends desired, use is made ofcertain temporary de vices in laying the track and the contactbodies,which will be fully set forth hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, A is the roadsurface, paved. with blocks a orin any other suitable manner, this surface paving resting on a layer ofsand 8. The rails B rest upon the solid body of concrete D, whichextends across the horizontal surface g of the earth G and into the sidetrenches 9!, cut longitudinally beneath the rails. Thismass of con IIO .screws or bolts the foot b of the rail B, be-

ing embraced between these holding-blocks and the rail being thereforeadjustable to exact gage by manipulating the screws 0 In setting therails and contacts the horizontal trench is first excavated andsurfaced, as at g, and the longitudinal trench for the feeder-conduit,as 9 In the latter the conduit K is laid in a bed of concrete gTemporary cross-ties are then supported transversely in the trench g,the rails laid thereon and roughly brought to gage. It is preferable forthis purpose to use the form of cross-tie shown in Figs. 3 and 4, whichconsists of a wooden body portion H, surmounted by the channel member H,suitably secured thereto and of a length greater than that of the bodyportion H. The overhanging ends thus produced facilitate the attachmentand detachment of the rails, while the body portion H is adapted to theoperation of surfacing the rails by tamping up under a tie. At each endof the tie the overhanging channel portion is perforated by the slottedholes h h, through the enlarged portionof which the head of the bolt ifreely slips to be engaged by the slotted portion of the hole forthepurpose of clamping the rail and tie by means of the clips y" andnuts 76 15. Having secured the rails to the temporary ties, the sidetrenches g are dug and the yokes or anchors O hung uponthe rails. Inthis part of the process shims or distance-pieces c are interposedbetween the rail-foot b and the head of each yoke. In finishing theseare removed, as well as the temporary ties, leaving the rails, as shown,raised from the yokes and adjustably held down thereby upon theconcrete.

In the drawings a type of rail in common use is shown at B with a headI), a high web I), and a groove 6 having an inclined face. The concavesides of the rail-figure are filled out by means of the special blocksa,which, it will be observed, do not take or transmit any strains andwhich clear the adjusting and holding screws or bolts. Any other form ofrail or any new rail of the same form can be substituted for the railsshown without. in any material degree disturbing or injuring the mainbody of the concrete bed. Moreover, the road-surface may be prepared asdesired and the same replaced from time to time without injury to theconcrete.

In order to provide for the contacts, tem porary supports 0 are placedupon the rails and secured thereto by means of clamps 0 bolted to thesupports at 0 These supports, which also perform the function ofstandard gages, are preferably channel-irons having webs 0 and sideflanges 0, so that while they are light enough to be readily handled andtransported they are very stiff and strong. As best shown in Figs. 3 and4, each support is slotted at 0 for the bolts 0 and the length is suchas to span a pair of rails. Intermediate of its ends each channel-beam Ois drilled for bolts 0 by which the supporting body or matrix for theconduit-body is suspended during the construction. The conduit structure preferably employed in this system is shown complete in Fig. 1. Thefeeder-conduit K is laid in the intermediate trench g filled withconcrete or cement 9 The surface contacts are distributed along thisconduit at recurring intervals between the rails. Each contact device isindicated in its entirety by the letter M. Each comprises an insulatingbody or sup ort m, which is conveniently made of arti cal stone orcement and which is centrally chambered to receive the switchcup m andperforated on each side to take the bolts m Each bolt is preferablypermanentlyscrewed in the lock from beneath, with its head countersunkand embedded in cement. The shrinkage on these bolts is sufficient tokeep them from turning; but special means for that purpose may beprovided, if desired. Each conduit-chamberis connected with thefeeder-conduit beneath by the branch L, which may be conveniently madeof iron or other pipe, the upper end of which takes the drop-lip on ashort flanged section of pipe molded in the body m. Upon the body orblock the metal cap-plate is screwed when the structure is complete bymeans of the bolts mi and suitable nuts thereon. This cap-platecomprises two sides bodies m, of magnetic metal, and an intermediatebody m of non-magnetic metal, which, however, should be very hard and agood conductor. Within the cup m a movable magnetic circuit-closer isplaced and connected bya flexible pigtail with the upper end of the tapN from the feeder. In the upper part of the cup 7% is a fixed conduitconnected to the body m Upon the cars or the locomotive which operateupon this system magnets are provided in pairs extending along thebottom of the trucks between the wheels and running along between thepairs of magnets are elongated contact-shoes, each preferably the lengthof a car. With this arrangement if a car passes over the structure shownin Fig. 1 the sidebodies m become magnetized and lift up between themthe loose contact inside the cup, so that it touches the upper fixedcontact, thereby completing the supply branch from the feeder throughthe tap N to "the contact-body m and thence to the contact-shoe onthecar, which is passing over it. It is to be understood that thismethod of opcrating cars is not claimed herein, the present inventionbeing confined to the track structure and the method of its production.

In building the road after the temporary ties are in position and therails supported thereon the condition is as represented in Fig. 2. Thefeeder-conduit K has been laid, the trench-ties are in position, andover each one the contact-block m is suspended from the rails or thesupport thereof. In the illustration Fig. 2 the support alreadydescribed is employed, it being obviously necessary for smooth andeconomical service of the road that the contacts should be uniformly andpermanently adjusted with regard to the surface of the rails. As alreadystated, after the temporary supports of Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are inposition the block m becomes automatically centered and adjusted bymeans of the channel-beams O. In order that it may be surfacedcorrectly, a pair of distance-pieces 0 are provided, which by theirlength determine the exact spacing between the lower face of thechannel-beam and the upper face of the block m. Each of these isoppositely threaded from its opposite ends, and each is provided with araised shouldered portion to take a wrench.

With the parts in the position shown the concrete is filled into theside trenches to embed the anchors or yokes of the rails, also into theintermediate trenches to embed the iron cross-rods and the branch pipes;but this cross-web of concrete is preferably not completed until afterthe temporary ties are removed. The cross-filling is then completed, asshown in Fig. 1, around the branch ipe and under the contact-blocks m.The fi ling about this block need not be tamped; but, if desired, somespace may be left to be subsequently filled by grouting. The surfacingwill be more accurate in this latter case, as the block will bepermitted to settle when the shims are removed from beneath the rails.

In some cases the intermediate trench y can be omitted, thefeeder-conduit being laid upon the surface of the cross-trench g. Theintermediate longitudinal trench is referable, because the temporaryties can e laid without any special provision for the conduit, beingsimply dropped across it.

It is to be distinctly understood that there are many changes possibleto be made in this structure without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Thus it is contemplated to support the block m and even thefeeder connections and conduit, if desired, upon the temporary ties, theprincipal and governing requirement being that the parts shall be spacedand adjusted in common, so that when the structure is complete thecontactsurfaces m and the various surface contacts M along the line willbe definitely and uniformly placed with respect to the rails.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of laying surface-contact railway-track, comprising thefollowing steps first arranging supporting means to carry rails duringconstruction approximately at their final level, second supporting therails and contacts with the latter and the securing devices supportedupon the rails, and third, building final supporting means under andabout the rails and contacts, substantially as described.

2. The method of laying surface-contact railway-track which comprisesthe following steps: first excavating and laying feeder-conduit; second,laying temporary supports; third, laying rails on the temporary supportswith permanent securing devices such as yokes carried upon them; fourthcentering and supporting at level upon the rails, contact devices andtheir appurtenances; and fifth filling or building up about bothrailsupports and contacts or their supports to produce an integralmonolithic compositionbody, substantially as described.

3. The method of laying electric-railway track which consists insuitably excavating, supporting the rails temporarily and the contactapparatus upon the rails or rail-supports and building up around thewhole a permanent supporting-body, substantially as described.

4. Apparatus for laying electric-railway track, comprising temporaryrail-supports, and contact-supports, each with adjustable securingmeans, substantially as described.

5. Apparatus forrailway construction comprising the channel-beam, withcentral holding means and adjustable securing means for attachment tothe rails, substantially as described.

6. The apparatus described for'constructing electric-railway trackcomprising the temporary rail-supports, and the channel beams or gageshaving approximately central securing means for the contacts or theirsupports, and terminal means for attachment to the rails or the supportsthereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD E. CLEMENT.

Witnesses Josnrn L. Wnren'r, JAMES 11. Milan.

